Chiron Drawing

A drawing belonging to a series I am exhibiting this May mentioned in the other entry before. This half human and half animal mythological figure, Chiron, seems to have had a special relation with Asclepius and his healing family. Chiron lived in a cave on Mount Pelion, in Thessaly, and was an important teacher in music, art, hunting, morals, medicine and surgery, and tutor to several of the most prominent heroes in Greek mythology. He was a centaur known for his knowledge and skill in healing. The heroes of the Iliad never ceased to praise the potions of herbs with which they treated the wounds of war. Apollo, a personal friend of Chiron, entrusted him with the education of his son Asclepius, god of medicine, to which the centaur considered a great honor. I wanted to create this robust figure with a certain movement and from a low vantage point perspective. Sort of looking up from below. The pack of plants in his hands, add to the iconic image of Chiron’s mystery, grace and generosity to us all. I didn’t want to situate the figure in a narrative background, but instead concentrate on the bi-form nature of this mythological character. Trying to render a more sculptural drawing than a narrative one. The half and half mixture of animal and human in an active posture with the vegetation metaphor as an offering. The half horse associates this figure to Athena’s special relationship with Pegasus, and her bridle as the mediating element between mind and body; Chiron’s half human mental force, with its half animal emotional energy, leads us to the term ‘Phren’, the ancient Greek word for the location of thought or contemplation in the torso (lower chest, breast or midriff) as opposed to the head. I believe the Phren/horse duality, the curing plants and the healing mystery all mix up within this wonderful and generous hybrid creature from Greek Myth.

Drawing:Graphite on Paper

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:31.9 W x 43.7 H x 0.2 D in

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